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Like most sports, badminton requires every player to get

excellent at some basic skills before they can truly shine
at the sport. Here are the seven (7) basic skills you
absolutely need to master to be a competent badminton
player – then on your approach to being an expert.

1. Grip 5. Smash
2. Stance 6. Drop Shot
3. Footwork 7. Clear or Lob
4. Serve
1. GRIP
The right grip in holding the racket is really important to achieve
control on shots while avoiding the chances of a wrist injury. A
proper grip will allow you to play both backhand and forehand
strokes effortlessly.
Holding a racket is similar to a
friendly handshake. Just the
thumb will be comfortably
placed against the wider
surface of the handle grip. The
rest of the hand will imitate a
handshake. Remember to keep
the handshake friendly, avoiding
tight grip. It will hinder the
flexibility in motion and also
might lead to wrist injuries in
the long term.
Backhand and forehand Grip
The only difference while
playing the 2 kinds of
strokes is in the use of
fingers.
- Push the index finger
forward while playing
forehand strokes.
- Push the thumb forward
while playing backhand
strokes.
BACKHAND
FOREHAND
2. STANCE
The stance is how you
stand while playing
badminton, both in
between a rally and
before the serve. A stable
and correct stance will
bring a huge change in
the results due to easier
movement.
 3 TYPES OF STANCE

ATTACKING STANCE DEFENSIVE STANCE NET STANCE

Attacking Stance
It is used to get into position
before playing an overhead
forehand stroke. To stand in the
attacking stance turn your body
facing the sidelines with racket leg
behind and both legs shoulder-
width apart. Now raise both
racket and non-racket arm to
generate the power to attack the
shuttle on its downward
trajectory.
Defensive Stance
to defend the opponent’s
smash, you need to be
prepared with the defensive
stance. Face the body to the
net and place your racket in
front at waist height, slightly
pointing forward. You can keep
the non-racket arm as
comfortable while ensuring a
better balance.
Net Stance
this stance is to be ready for the
opponent’s return after playing a net
shot. To play this shot, place your
foot on the racket side forward
while keeping non- racket foot at
the back. Place the racket in front
of the body, slightly above waist
height while raising the non-racket
arm.
Shift the body weight slightly
forward to be ready to pounce
forward.
3. FOOTWORK
Badminton is played on a court
with limited space, and the
athletes have to take care of the
same while playing. Footwork
plays a huge role in helping with
an effective and organised
movement on the court. In fact,
some coaches even raise
footwork to prime importance
over other skills.
TYPES OF FOOTWORK

1. V-Front Pattern
2. V-Back Pattern
3. Lateral Pattern
TIPS FOR PROPER FOOTWORKS

◦ Always remember the base (starting point).

◦ Move only 2-3 steps backwards.

◦ Shuffle only 1 step sidewards.

◦ Move only 2-3 steps front.

4. SERVE
Serve is among the most
basic skill that you need to
master in Badminton. Also,
you should ensure to make
a legal service otherwise it
might lead to penalty
points.

➢ High Serve
➢ Low Serve
High Serve
- aims at the back end corner of the opponent’s court. Ideally, a
good high serve results in shuttle dropping steeply downwards
at the back end of the court. In fact, a high serve is presented to
opponents having ability to executing a strong smash. You can
always expect a lob or a drop from your opponent as a reply to a
properly executed high serve.
Low Serve
- unlike high serve, the low serve aims to the front of the court.
The objective is to let the shuttle fly just above the net landing
in the front corner of the court. In this case, your opponent has
the opportunity to dash forward and smash the shuttle to you if
the execution is poor.
5. SMASH
Smash is the most potent and
powerful stroke in badminton which
naturally turns out to be the most
familiar term to all. The shot is
basically to hit the shuttle powerfully
towards the opponent’s body or
downward on the court. A perfectly
executed smash has no defense.
➢ Forehand smash
➢ Backhand smash
➢ Jumping smash
Forehand smash
- the forehand is an
overhead smash which is
similar to the action of
throwing a ball.
You shouldn’t have a
problem playing this stroke
if you can throw a ball well.
Backhand smash

- this is one of the toughest

strokes in badminton, and even
experts face difficulty in playing
the stroke. Still, it is important
to practice and get the
technique to rise in the skill
level. To execute this stroke,
getting the backhand grip is
extremely important. Also, it is
equally important to return back
to stance.
Jumping smash

- a forehand
smash with a
timed jump added
to it counts under
jumping smash.
6. DROP SHOT
o Badminton drop
Shots are delicate
badminton shots
that can win you
points that aim at
scoring points in
deception.

o Played with both backhand and forehand, these are used to

move the opponent to the frontcourt. This creates space in
the midcourt and backcourt for you to exploit. There are
slow and fast drop shots, played judging the situation.
6. CLEAR/LOB
The lob shot in Badminton can be
imagined as a shot with an
inverted ‘U’ trajectory. It is normally
played from the forecourt with an
aim to lift or ‘lob’ the shuttle over
the opponent. The idea is to land
it as near to the baseline as it is,
at an angle that is impossible to
clear.

This is similar to the drop in challenging the opponent with sudden

motion backwards this time. It can also be executed by both backhand
and forehand. This generally results in the creation of space in the
front and midcourt, opening plenty of opportunities.
Thank you and God bless!